Cleveburgh State University

In-state students are paying $6,720 a year in tuition, the lowest of Ohio’s 11 comprehensive public universities, but those coming to YSU from outside Ohio are hit with a larger bill.

They pay what is called a “nonresident tuition surcharge” that amounts to $2,692 on top of the $6,720 annual figure for those living in YSU’s “regional service area” and $5,672 additional for those living outside the service area.

The regional service area includes counties in Western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia and upstate New York.

The proposed removal of the surcharge would initially target the counties in Western PA, such as nearby Mercer and Lawrence. YSU could end up being the post-secondary institution of choice for Tech Belt residents. Youngstown seems to be readily embracing an interstate regional model.

I'm curious about the regional service area, which suggests that Cleveburgh might include parts of Western New York. However, my guess is that an economic corridor stretching from Erie to Rochester or further eastward (Syracuse? Watertown? Utica? Binghamton?) would prove to be more coherent. That belt might leverage a proximity advantage to Toronto, whereas Pittsburgh and its urban cohort is more oriented towards Washington, DC.